Hey Alex

Saturday

Hey Alex,

Today I’m headed to the lake with Mia and Davey. There’s meant to be a meteor shower—I’ll believe it when I see it. Davey’s wrong a lot of the time but Mia doesn’t seem to mind. I wonder what it feels like to be loved enough that a person doesn’t notice your more annoying traits.

I guess I’ll never know.

Be prepared for disappointment.

Lena

▶️ Now Playing

Taylor Swift - Bigger than the whole sky

The sun was already starting to set as I threw my journal into the already overflowing rucksack. It barely fit amidst the picnic blanket, snacks and instant camera but I was accustomed to carrying it everywhere I went and I wasn’t about change my habits now.

“Come on, Lena! I want to get a good spot.” Mia shouted from downstairs. Let’s not dwell on the fact that professional astronomers had already disproved the chance of a meteor shower tonight, Davey must be right.

“I’m coming, keep your pants on.”

Mia was bursting with excitement, hopping from one foot the other with her own backpack slung over her shoulder, no doubt filled with useless junk I’d end up carrying. “Davey said we have to get there early and we’re already fifteen minutes late!”

“Fifteen minutes isn’t going to make a huge difference, I’m sure there will be plenty of good spots left.” More like all of them seeing as no one with any sense will show up, but I didn’t want to burst her bubble so early.

The old grandfather clock my parents had gifted me chimed six. It had been five minutes fast since I was little girl and nobody had ever bothered to adjust it, which was perfectly fine with me seeing as we were always late.

“See, even grandad is telling you to get a wriggle on.”

I smiled at the phrase my father often used, his silly antics rubbed off on everyone he met and Mia was his star pupil. “Okay, okay. Off we go!”

Mia bounded down the path with such vigour, she knocked over one of the many garden gnomes she obsessed over, his little red hat smashed into pieces. “Oh no, not Digger!” This was routine now. Most of the little men and women had many a crack and chip but I think she secretly preferred them that way.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get grandad to glue him back together tomorrow. You don’t want to miss the meteor, right?”

She pulled a thoughtful face as she prodded the remains. “Digger says he’ll be fine. Let’s go!”

Finally on our way, my phone buzzed in my pocket. Davey’s mum letting me know they’d found a great spot near the lake and exactly where they were located. Yeah, like it’ll be hard to spot the only other people at Lake Orson on a Saturday evening.

Mia ran a few steps ahead, waiting at every road and falling back to my side at the sight of strangers. She was cautious for such an imaginative child, but I suppose the world is a huge scary place when you’re six. She held my hand tightly as we crossed together, the park coming into view at the end of the lane, and I ended up being dragged the rest of the way.

To my surprise, the lakeside was far busier than I’d expected. There were at least thirty families and couples already sat on blankets and camping chairs with children running wild, had none of them got the memo that this wasn’t an actual thing? I was beginning to doubt the news article I’d read earlier.

Mia spotted Davey’s mum waving at the far side of the lake and we waved back, weaving in and out of the little blanket city as Davey ran to meet us. “Hi, Mia! Do you want to come sit on my blanket?” Sweet kid. Mia nodded shyly and he took her hand in his, pulling her along. Davey was another thing she secretly liked. I would get an earful for ever saying that out loud though.

“Hey, Lena. How’ve you been?” I knew Mel from work, we both worked in the same editing department at Waterloo Publishing. She was the trifecta of funny, sweet and understanding. They were hard to come by in the sea of judgemental parents wanting to tell you everything you’re doing wrong.

“Hi Mel, same old story. How did you get on with that meeting yesterday?” I lay down the picnic blanket next to hers and kept a close eye on Mia as we chatted.

“Oh, you’ll never guess what happened. Steve got sacked!”

“You’re joking?! Of course Mia would have a doctors appointment when the drama unfolds. Tell me everything.”

She went into great detail about Steve’s alleged gross misconduct with a few titles he’d handled. And allegedly siphoning company funds into his own account.

“That’s crazy, I guess we’re getting a new boss then. Are they hiring within the company? I hope it isn’t Terry. The guy doesn’t know fantasy from non-fiction.”

“Clare overheard the finance managers talking and apparently this has been in the works for a while so whoever it is starts Monday. If there’s one day you’re gonna be on time, make it then!” We laughed and discussed the kids and until the time finally came for the so called meteor shower. I still wasn’t a believer.

“Mia! It’s about to start!” She ran as fast as her little legs could carry and pulled her comfort blanket from her backpack, trying her best to spread it evenly. After a few minutes of her waiting on bated breathe, and me scrolling my phone with no expectations at all, it happened.

The darkening sky lit up like bonfire night, meteors shooting in all directions and the look on Mia’s face as she looked back at me made all the waiting worth it. She was awestruck, a rare occurrence of complete silence and contentment.

I snapped a quick picture and my heart ached.

I wish you were here to see this, Alex.